


Mid air

by softcoverwords



Category: Storm Hawks (Cartoon)
Genre: Drunk Sex, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Heavy Drinking, Mentions of Blood, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sexual Content, other characters to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:34:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24558511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softcoverwords/pseuds/softcoverwords
Summary: Starling has lost everything; her friends, her family, her terra - she has continued fighting because that is the only thing she knew in her life, the only thing left. Dark Ace has no family, has murdered the only friends he ever had, made the war part of himself.When the war ends, they realize there's nothing left for them.
Relationships: Dark Ace/Starling (Storm Hawks)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Mid air

**Author's Note:**

> A new work!  
> I want to warn everyone that this work, unlike previous ones, contains explicit scenes! Explicit sex scenes, drinking.  
> This is a fic focused on two consenting adults figuring out their life, so, if you are under 18, please be aware of what you are about to read - this is definitely not for younger audiences.  
> With that said, I hope everyone enjoys this fic!

It was over. The war was over.

If they had known it was going to be this easy to end the war, they would have done it a long time ago – but then again, they wouldn’t be who they were today.

It started with an explosion, a massive one that was heard across the Atmos; its echoes shaking terras to their core and setting off the alarms. People hid in their homes as Sky Knights ran through the chaos trying to find what had caused the tremors.

The news came to them days after, from Starling – who had been missing since the incident. A cloaked civilian approached the Sky Knight council as it reunited, looking for answers. The cloaked civilian spoke nothing, only handing them a status report.

_[Cyclonian experiment gone wrong. Caused quakes amongst Atmos. Cyclonian main terra has been destroyed.]_

Absolute silence set upon the meeting Sky Knights as the few words on the report were read; and no matter how many questions they asked of the civilian, all he knew was that Sky Knight Starling had approached him with that message, that she was alive and amongst Cyclonian ranks – he had been paid generously by the purple haired Sky Knight to keep quiet about anything else regarding her position and status.

Starling showed up weeks later, with a broken arm and a faint scar than ran from the corner of her right eye to her temple, disappearing behind her ear and amongst the purple locks of hair. She was the same as she had always been, refusing any fussing over her and going right down to business – it was then that they knew what had happened.

She had been amongst the Cyclonian ranks for undercover work when it happened; Master Cyclonis had been experimenting in her lab, and with no warning, it exploded on all of them. The deaths were still being accounted for, including if Cyclonis herself was alive. Dark Ace was now running amongst what was left of the terra, trying to gather what was left of the Cyclonian empire.

No one, not even Dark Ace, knew what the young empress had been experimenting with.

Cyclonis’ state wasn’t known until much later, when she first emerged from the shadows for the first time in months – addressing her people in the remaining terras.

She was still pale, seemingly small and fragile, and not a scratch on her – but they weren’t stupid. It was clear to anyone that looked hard enough that she was shaken, supporting a slight limp. She moved herself slower than before, more carefully, almost tentatively.

Dark Ace was always seen beside his Master in the rare appearances of the young girl; constantly on alert, he watched her like a hawk, waiting for the moment he would have to jump in to rescue her – he never had to, not in public.

With their capital terra destroyed, their army decimated – their cyclonian operations moved to other terras of the empire. Despite her questionable methods, Master Cyclonis was a good ruler; or so it seemed, as she was gladly welcomed by her people. They came together in a supportive community around their ruler – sharing the resources that quickly dwindled, where once they had been so abundant amid the empire. 

That seemed to be the main reason for this peace treaty, lack of resources and manpower. As Free Atmos started taking back from Cyclonia what they believed to be rightfully theirs, with no Cyclonian army to stop them, her people grew more and more desperate for resources – she stepped forward.

Not without her conditions, never without her conditions – the war would stop, and so would any attacks from either side; Cyclonia would not make any other efforts on conquest, and Free Atmos would not interfere with terras already under Cyclonian control; instead, the decision laid on the terras own political control to choose whether they wanted to be under Free Atmos or Cyclonia.

Atmosia and Cyclonia would be the head terras, together extracting and accounting for the resources that would then be distributed equally amongst their correspondent territories.

Not everyone agreed, and not everyone was on board with this new façade of Cyclonis – fearing it was yet another trap to get them.

After many more months of in fighting, of civilian revolts, and attacks on both sides, a meeting was held between the two sides – this would be it, either they came to terms with a treaty or the war would continue.

They knew Master Cyclonis was in no position to make any threats, but that didn’t mean she didn’t make them – continuously defending that if they didn’t reach an agreement, she would not hesitate to fight to get resources for her people, sparing no mercy or cost.

Free Atmos wasn’t much better; there had been less in fighting between terras before Lightning Strike – and they all knew that no matter how persuasive and charming Aerrow might be, he could rally Sky Knights but he could not rally all the civilians from the terras.

Starling was the first to defend that she was not going to allow that they send the kids off to rally people in hopes they would gain efforts for a war – no matter how much she did not agree with the conditions.

Harrier on the other hand, found commendable what Cyclonis was trying to do; making sure to tell her himself – no way was Terra Rex turning their backs on the centuries of history under Free Atmos, but they would agree to come to friendly terms; the people had suffered enough and they had a chance to end it.

Suzy-Lu stood more radically – Cyclonis had done enough harm to beg for forgiveness now. Master Cyclonis quickly reminded her that she was not begging for forgiveness, instead she was proposing mercy for people of both sides. That seemed to quiet the Sky Knight for some time before she would fire up again.

In the end, votes were taken to gather what the choice was.

Starling voted neutral – she was not taking any side.

The Buzz Buzzards, the Rebel Ducks, the Absolute Zeroes, the Neck Deeps and the Screaming Queens voted no, the treaty should not be signed – they defended they had fought in this war to defend their people from her malice, and they would not forgive or turn back because Master Cyclonis was being merciful.

The Storm Hawks, the Rex Guardians, the Third-degree Burners, the Red Eagles, and the Dragon Knights voted yes, the treaty should be signed – this war had been going on for longer than any of them has been around and it was time to end it, the chance was here and it brought along the minimum of casualties for both sides.

Minor squadrons chimed in with their votes, all of them had quick and sure convictions and would not be persuaded – it was a yes or no. In the end, it was a tie and it was up to Starling, as the neutral party, to decide whether the war would end.

“Sky Knight Starling, in light of the tie, the last vote falls to you” The head of the Council sighed, removing his glasses and leaning back on his chair “Your decision is of great importance, so please think well”

“I have already made up my mind” Starling sighed, ready to speak up but not before being interrupted by Suzy-Lu.

“Quick, girlie, for someone who was neutral”

“Do not forget she was behind the massacre to your squadron and terra” Dove chimed in, supported by her grandfather.

“I don’t blame her for that” Starling answered, a wave of indignance and confusion settling amongst the council “I know it wasn’t on her orders, Repton acted on his own”

“No matter, he is still part of Cyclonian forces-” Wren started but Starling stopped him by raising a hand softly.

“I have worked as the main informant for the Free Atmos for as long as I have been a Sky Knight, I know more about her style of leadership and who is part of her force than anyone else in this council; and Repton is but a tool” Starling started, feeling Cyclonis’ eyes on her “I know that the massive destruction of a squadron and terra is not her style, her grandmother’s maybe, but not her; the same way I don’t hold Aerrow accountable for the mistakes his father did, I will not hold her accountable for her grandmother’s choices, if it was even that”

“If this treaty is signed, you will not be able to kill Repton” One of the Screaming Queens chimed in and Starling smirked.

“Bold of you to assume death is the only revenge I can get on Repton”

That seemed to quiet the arguments and persuasion tries, that they threw at Starling – and the purple haired seemed happy to not have to speak of her squadron’s death any longer.

“Starling” Piper spoke, landing a comforting hand on Starling’s shoulder – the older woman looked at the teen, smiling softly. She could see the pain in Piper’s eyes; she knew why.

“I know Piper, I know” Starling sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose before her vote finally escaped her lips “Yes”

“She was persuaded!”

“You say that I was persuaded one more time and I will show what that word means!” Starling threatened, making the council head knock his hammer on the table to try and stop the incoming fight.

“Sky Knight Starling, is that your vote?”

“Yes, sign the treaty” Starling spoke, looking directly at Cyclonis who had yet to take her eyes off the Sky Knight.

The purple haired had worked undercover for most part of her life, she had studied and trained for this all her life; she knew how to read someone, and Cyclonis’ little sigh and the way her shoulders relaxed a tiny fraction did not escape the Sky Knight.

 _Congratulations_ , Starling mouthed, watching as Master Cyclonis’ smirked, leaning her head down in a bow – barely a fraction, barely noticeable, so fast it could escape anyone else.

But not Starling.

Like that, the treaty was signed.

  * \- -



Dark Ace never thought he would be standing here, a Cyclonian commander sitting in a pub in the center of terra Atmosia, in the open and with no need for defense. He never though that he would be in this terra again, with people cheering around him instead of cowering in fear.

He didn’t think people would cheer. He thought they would fear him.

Instead, they ignored him. Atmosians and civilians from terras all over Atmos continued their celebrations of peace around him, as if he wasn’t there – as if he was just another person in the crowd.

That just reminded him how much he needed alcohol; otherwise he wouldn’t be able to bear with this circus for the rest of the night. Had the situation been different, Dark Ace would have waited, travelled all the way back to Cyclonian territory to go to another place – maybe a neutral terra, those usually ignored him or gave him the side eye, letting him around if he didn’t cause any trouble.

However, he couldn’t wait and Cyclonian forces were staying on terra for the night. His impatience, though, seemed to not help in the slightest – the drink he had continuously been asking for was refusing to arrive to him, no matter how many times he asked the bartender, or how pissed he looked.

Bartender who was too busy in the midst of the celebrations to tend to the bar – the young man ran from one side to the other, tending to costumers; only to lose himself in the celebrations of those costumers, randomly handing out drinks.

Dark Ace had heard so many “will be right up”, but his drink was yet to get to him.

He wasn’t the only one who needed a drink desperately, he found out. She made herself known by jumping over the bar counter in a flurry of purple and light brown; he watched her move around behind the bar, picking up bottle after bottle before placing them down, searching for a clean cup.

That’s when she looked up from her searches, and their eyes met. Starling, of the Interceptors.

Her green eyes clashed directly with his red ones; the same pissed off look he knew he had on his face was reflected in hers – seems he wasn’t the only one unhappy with the result of the treaty.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before he saw her sigh, mentally giving up on whatever was bothering her before walking towards him, carrying bottles under her arm and two clean cups in her hands.

“What do you want?”

Dark Ace hummed in question; an eyebrow raised as the woman started tending to her drink, not bothered by him.

“What do you want to drink?” Starling clarified in an exasperated tone “Is the only way you’re going to get it”

Dark Ace knew the woman, not well but he knew her. They had worked together before he turned to Cyclonia, or better, she had worked with Lightning and as the co-pilot he came along.

They had been young then, too young – if he remembered well, she had been 14 then, youngest Sky Knight to get her license, her squadron taken under an older squadron’s wing to make sure she was able to perform her duties well.

She was able and she did; he remembered the few times he had seen her in action. Back then, and even more so aided by her squadron mates, she had been practical and pragmatic – her methods were sharp and she was a good fighter and an even better undercover agent.

Even then, he knew not to make her angry – knew how dangerous the Interceptor could be when she wasn’t in her best mood. As Dark Ace, he had learned she was dangerous even when she wasn’t angry – what she lacked in body mass against stronger enemies, she made up for cunning, she was an intelligent woman, far too intelligent.

He was with no patience to put up with Sky Knights, he had enough problems on his own to muse about– but a small part of his brain reminded him that all he wanted was to forget those same problems.

Dark Ace knew that she was not only dangerous and cunning, she was beautiful too, and that he couldn’t deny. It had been some time since he had let his thoughts wander this way; in fact, he did not remember when it was the last time that he had looked at someone like this.

He let his eyes wander, the soft lips pressed into a harsh unpleased line, her lashes as she looked down and focused on tending to her drink, the lines of her chin, her neck, that white skin that disappeared behind her uniform. He took in her figure, the lines of her body, her hips.

He was going to have his alcohol and he was going to have his fun with her and forget his problems - now that, seemed like a good plan.

He knew she was aware he was looking and exactly what he was thinking; she might not let him see it, but he knew – that little mask she always wore couldn’t hide everything.

“Whatever it is you’re making” Ace answered, and Starling chuckled before handing him the drink she had been tending to, reaching for the other cup.

“You’re going to regret that” She hummed, pouring another drink into the new cup and he swallowed what she had handed him.

Dark Ace regretted it as soon as he gulped down the drink, feeling the liquid burn its way down his throat.

“What the hell is this?” Dark Ace grimaced, watching the woman’s lips turning into a smirk.

“I don’t know actually” Starling mused, turning the bottle she was pouring on a new cup to inspect “This one is whisky”

“Give me that” Dark Ace grumbled, leaning over the bar to take exchange their cups “You can have your poisonous concoction”

She did, chuckling before taking the cup to her lips; throwing her head back as she took a big gulp of the drink – her face contorted into a grimace as she swallowed it, placing the cup down.

“How are you capable of drinking that?” Dark Ace questioned, taking a sip of his own, and safer, drink - watching the woman over the rim of the glass.

“I’m not drinking out of enjoyment” Starling spoke, swirling the alcohol around in the glass.

“You’re drinking to forget” Dark Ace completed with a sigh, that was two of them “I’ll drink to that”

Before Starling could add anything else, a man approached them; an intoxicated and happy smile on his face – he leaned over the counter beside Dark Ace, not paying him any attention, to speak to Starling over the noise.

“Sky Knight! I heard your vote was the definitive one!” The man pointed out, continuing before Starling could even speak up “You ended this war!”

The man got interrupted by his friends, pulling him aside and cheering some more, leaving Starling and Dark Ace behind – seemingly forgetting who they were talking to and what they had been saying.

“Details travel fast” Starling hummed, watching the man be carried away.

“He is right” Dark Ace smirked, glancing that the woman “And you don’t look very happy”

“You don’t look very happy yourself, for someone who won” Starling retorted, taking another massive gulp of her drinking.

“I didn’t win” Dark Ace hissed, continuing to drink his whisky. What the Sky Knight said next shook him to the core.

“That seems to be the problem, isn’t it?” Starling sighed, not looking at him but instead at the people who celebrated around them “It’s over but it feels wrong, bittersweet”

“Why did you say yes, then?”

“I didn’t, remember?”

“You were neutral” Ace recalled, thinking back on the meeting they had earlier in the day – how Starling had chosen to stay neutral until she was forced to take a decision “and you took a decision for the greater good, how altruistic of you”

“It is, isn’t it?” Starling hummed “I lost everything in this war; my family, my friends, my terra-”

“In the end, nothing mattered” Dark Ace spoke, completing the woman’s thought.

“Do you regret betraying them?” Starling asked, looking as if she was talking to him about how bad her alcohol was or how the weather would be tomorrow; and not how he had murdered his own squadron, a small sad smile on her lips “Now that it all amounts to nothing?”

“I don’t know where I come from, I don’t have a family I know off” Ace hissed, angry at everything in general rather than the Sky Knight – even if she asked questions she should not be asking “Killing them is the only navigation point in my life, I don’t regret it; but it does feel useless now”

“Everything does” Starling added and he turned to look at her, trying to read what she was thinking – all he could see breaking the impassiveness on her face was the confliction in those green eyes.

Before they could speak again, before he could try and pry anymore into her thoughts, they were interrupted by the owner of the pub climbing on the bar counter, announcing their presence.

“We have special guests with us tonight!” The way the man spoke loudly and slurring his words was clear indication that he was way past his limit “Toast to the Sky Knight and the Talon Commander, to the end of the war”

It might have been the end of the war, but it wasn’t the end of the distrust between Cyclonia and Free Atmos, not yet. Starling and Dark Ace knew, when all eyes landed on them, that it was their missions now to play make-believe, to make it seem like everything was fine.

“To the end of the war” Starling smiled, speaking softly as she raised her glass towards Ace.

“To the end of the war” Dark Ace returned.

The moment their cups clinked together, the pub irrupted in cheers – the celebrations continued as they had before, and people went back to ignoring them as they had been until then.

The same euphoria did not seem to reach the two soldiers who took large gulps of their drinks, Starling grimacing as she forced herself to finish her cup.

“Give me the damn bottle” Dark Ace grumbled, leaning over the bar to reach for the whisky bottle the woman had been holding previously.

He took a gulp from said bottle, ignoring how Starling’s chuckles and the way she rested her chin in her hands to look at him sent a smile up to his lips.

Those chuckles and little giggles didn’t stop – in fact, Dark Ace found that the woman kept on giggling the drunker she got. He guessed that’s how they ended up here, with him wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her into his lap, trying to recover the bottle of alcohol that Starling, very weakly, was trying to steal from him.

“Give me that bottle” Dark Ace demanded, trying to reach for the bottle as the woman squirmed in his grasp.

“No!” Starling giggled “Mine”

“Give me the bottle woman!” Dark Ace smiled, and some part of his brain wondered how long it had been since he had smiled.

“No!” Starling exclaimed, falling into a fit of giggles which made it easier for him the grab the neck of the bottle and pull it out of her hands.

“Alrighty!” Dark Ace cheered, taking a large gulp of the bottle before letting go of the woman, who only turned around and made herself comfortable on his chest.

“You’re drunk” Starling slurred, giggling a bit more; Dark Ace side glanced at her, mockingly mouthing her words back.

“No, you are!”

“I’m not!” The purple haired defended, placing her hands on her hips – she was going to prove to him how sober she was “I can prove it to you”

“Oh really?” Ace questioned, taking another gulp from the bottle “How?”

The woman only smirked, leaning closer to him; in hindsight, he should have paid attention to what she was doing but in his drunk haze he let his guard down. Like that, she was landing a small peck on his cheek, sending a blush up to his cheeks – that’s when she grabbed the bottle and ran away with it, disappearing out of the door.

She ran away with his bottle.

His. Bottle.

“Starling, you come back here!”

Calling for her was useless, the woman kept running, leaving only her giggles behind – he was not about to let her steal his alcohol. With that, he stood up and started running after her, tripping over himself in the process.

When he finally reached her, she was standing in the middle of the paved street, taking gulps from the bottle – hands on her hips and waiting for him. He watched her finish his bottle before throwing it away, making a certain landing in the gathering of trash at the side of the street.

“Took you long enough, Acey”

“Someone had to pay the bill” Dark Ace smirked, walking towards the woman – somewhere deep in his brain something told him that he had not, in fact, paid the bill.

“Such a gentleman that you are” Starling smirked, starting to walk away, but not before Ace could grab her wrist and pull her to him.

“Dark Ace, Talon Commander” Dark Ace spoke, leaning the woman into a dip “How are you this evening?”

Starling’s reaction was to laugh, loud and freely, throwing her head back; the sound of her laughter echoing in the cornered street. Dark Ace couldn’t help but stare, watch as the corner of her eyes glistened with tears, her long neck becoming exposed.

Her skin was so pale, looked so soft and smooth, he could just reach down.

Something in his head screamed for him do to it, to reach down and kiss it, bite it, leave a mark on her. He tried focusing on something else, in the way she laughed or how it somehow made him chuckle too; but still that skin called to him. **Bite it.**

He did. He leaned down and placed a small kiss on her neck, in the snug corner of below her chin, before biting it – a gentle bite, but hard enough to leave a mark.

Hard enough to make her laughter halt.

Starling’s eyes widened in surprise before closing, her hands travelling up his arms to clutch at the back of his uniform. She could feel as he took her skin between his lips and sucked, she could feel the slight wetness of his saliva on her neck – that’s when a moan escaped her

She arched her back in his hold, leaning into the tall man - sighing when he stopped his ministrations on her neck, that’s also when she felt them lean down towards the ground rapidly.

She doesn’t know if she put too much weight on them when she arched her back or if he simply lost his balance due to his drunken haze, but they ended up on the floor. Dark Ace complaining as his nose hit the ground hard, letting go of the woman to clutch at it.

“Ouch” Starling complained, sitting up to rub the back of her head, trying to ease the pain.

“Ouch?” Dark Ace complained “You weren’t the one going down face first”

“Let me see that” Starling chuckled, and Dark Ace wanted to tell her to stop giggling – but then she sat on his lap, a leg on each side of him and he forgot all about her giggling.

He watched as the woman carefully examined him, relinquishing in her delicate touch, the way the ungloved tips of her fingers brushed against his skin as she turned his face to the side to inspect better; a look of sobriety passing through her eyes.

“You’re bleeding” Starling spoke, worry pouring on her voice. So that’s why she sobered up.

Dark Ace slowly took a hand to his nose, looking at the glove as it came back with a small red and wet patch of blood.

“I have a nosebleed” Ace spoke, stating the obvious.

“I know a way we can take care of that” Starling spoke, a small grin making its way to her lips, the alcohol seemingly taking over her once more - and he knew exactly what she meant, he could see the lust starting to cloud her eyes.

“Oh, of course you do” Dark Ace spoke, rubbing the blood off with the back of his hand before leaning in, her lips meeting his halfway.

Soft and thin lips that moved along with his; her hands sneaking up around his neck resting on his nape to pull him closer. He let his hands wander over her figure, around the thin waist, fingers sneaking under her uniform shirt to caress the dip of her lower back.

Where the kiss started soft, it had now become intense; their lips moving more furiously against each other.

“Hmff”

That was until she stopped them, leaning away from him, and breaking their kiss.

“You’re still bleeding” Starling grimaced, and now it was Ace’s turn to chuckle; watching her wipe away his blood from where it had smeared on her face. There was something very wrong with him, he realized, when the only thought that came to him was how hot she was wiping the blood away from her skin.

Starling, however, didn’t seem very pleased with their arrangement or with the fact he was bleeding all over the both of them, taking the initiative herself to pinch his nose.

“Lean your head forward a bit” The purple haired instructed and Dark Ace grumbled under his breath – of course his nosebleed had to go ruin the moment. 

“Just when it was getting fun” More grumbles that only made the woman melt into a fit of laughter – warm and soft.

“Here I thought you had been having fun all this time!” Starling laughed, her laughter getting louder and more uncontrollable the more he glared at her.

“Smashing!”

“Well, don’t be so glum, I’ll show you fun in a bit” Starling whispered in his ear and Dark Ace smirked, placing a hand on her back and turning them around – letting her back rest on the ground as he kneeled over her.

“Stop it” The anger in her words did not meet the happiness that echoed in her voice, breaking with mindless giggles “Your bleeding will never stop”

“Your fault” His voice was muffled with Starling fighting to maintain her pinching on his nose and prevent his blood from spilling any further.

Whatever the objective had been with turning them around, he quickly forgot as it got wiped out of his mind by the sound of cheering coming from the main streets of the terra – that was when the both of them seemed to realize they were not alone, but in the imminent risk of someone turning the corner and seeing them.

Sky Knight and Talon Commander laying in the pavement tangled in each other.

“What is that?” Ace questioned, an eyebrow raising as the noise grew louder and closer – from low cheering to yells of celebration, music and the sound of glass clicking. He was sure he could hear small explosions too.

Starling didn’t give him an answer, simply pushing him aside and standing up, wobbling slightly before she caught her footing – walking towards the corner into the main street to see what the fuss was about.

Dark Ace followed her, pinching his nose to prevent blood loss – the last thing he needed was for his head to get any lighter. Wobbling his way towards her, what they saw as they turned the corner took them by surprise.

Terra Atmosia had always seemed the most pleased about the treaty; maybe because they didn’t have a Sky Knight, with the Red Eagles squadron being incomplete, or maybe because it was often the main target for attacks. Whatever the cause, it showed, as civilians took upon themselves to celebrate the treaty.

A terra wide celebration, that is what they had been caught in the middle of.

People cheered, danced and sang happily, colourful smoke crystals exploded in the air, children ran amongst the crowd happily; even the both of them, in their drunk stupor, could see the altered state people were in.

“Great” Dark Ace grumbled, his muffled complaints setting the purple haired woman into a whirlwind of laughter “How are we going to make it past?”

“Why would we want to make it past?” Starling smirked, delicately pushing his chin with her hand, directing him to where a group had wheeled in a cart full of wine bottles “When we can get in it?”

Ace smirked, taking hold of the woman’s wrist with his free hand, glancing at her as their eyes met; the same mischievous smirk he had reflected on her lips. He didn’t say anything before setting off on a run, pulling the woman after him as they both broke into the crowd, navigating between people.

He didn’t need to look behind him to know she was there; he could feel her delicate wrist in his hold, her bracelets clicking against his hand as they ran, her laughter and happy cries of his name as he guided them.

He turned on his heel as they reached the drink cart, letting her crash into his chest, wrapping his arms around her to hold her in case she lost her bearing. Starling took that opportunity to lean down over his arm, reaching into the cart to sweep away a bottle of wine; she thanked the drunken state of the celebration goers around them, who would barely take notice of the Sky Knight and Talon Commander.

Starling and Dark Ace’s attention was won over by a loud explosion echoing in the streets, resulting in the cheers of the populace; both looked up in time to see a water bomb crystal blow in mid air, spraying water over the crowd, falling in soft and cold droplets.

_The buttons on your collar_   
_The color of your hair_   
_I think I see you everywhere_

Dark Ace watched as the Sky Knight in his arms giggled, leaning her head back and closing her eyes – enjoying the fresh droplets as they rested on her skin.

He took her in; the soft way her eyelids fell and hid the moss colour of her eyes, the way those same lids were tainted in lilac eyeshadow, the softness of her lips, the way they curved into a smile, the way her purple locks of hair fell back to leave the small scar in the corner of her eye fully visible, the way her hands gripped his arms, placing her trust in him. Him.

He doesn’t know if it was his intoxicated state, the way she trusted him in the most unadvisedly way possible, the show of colours that filled the air around them or the song playing in the back of the celebration – but he would never stop wondering why he did it.

“Hey”

She opened her eyes when he called, leaning forward towards him again, humming in question; he didn’t know what to say, what he was supposed to say in that moment, so he placed a hand in her nape, his fingers weaving their way into her hair, before he kissed her.

She didn’t stop him, didn’t resist his advances, on the contrary; Starling placed a hand on each side of his face, leaning up to deepen their kiss. It was a messy one, teeth clashing and noses bumping, desperate for something they didn’t know themselves.

When they broke apart, they broke apart breathless; Ace leaning down to rest his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and letting his breathing come back to him – though, he could feel her eyes on him, her attentive glance.

“You’re not bleeding anymore”

He opened one eye to peek at her, seeing the little grin she wore on her face; from this close he could see the droplets of water in her skin; shinning as the light reflected on them.

“It’s the excitement for the prospect of wine” Ace responded, from this close he didn’t need to yell either “Now, give me that”

Starling didn’t try to escape from his arms or run away with the bottle, though he could feel her shimmy in his hold - a weak attempt at getting the wine way from him. Still, he gripped the neck of the bottle, taking it from her – in a movement, he popped open the cork, taking a gulp from the wine, only to cringe at the taste.

“Atmosian wine is terrible” Dark Ace complained, grimacing at the aftertaste.

“You cyclonians just don’t know how to enjoy Atmosian wine” Starling chuckled, taking the bottle for herself and turning in his arms, the back of her head resting against his shoulder as she gulped the alcohol.

“And how exactly do you enjoy Atmosian wine?” Ace whispered, peppering kisses in the back of her ear.

“You keep drinking until you don’t mind the taste anymore” Starling answered, turning her head to look at him; red and green clashing before he landed another kiss on her lips. A small one, unlike their first two, small and quick.

“There’s an inn right there” Ace pointed out, going back to teasing her, kissing the back of her neck, her nape, where his hand had combed through her hair not so long ago.

“I can see that” Starling spoke, shivering as his lips made their way across her skin “What do you want with it, set it on fire?”

He bit her neck, hard; causing her to yelp and attract the attention of people nearby; thankfully, not for long, the colorful explosions and atmosphere calling their attention back almost as soon as it was gone.

Starling rubbed her neck where he had bitten her, glaring at him “Can’t you wait until we have an actual room?”

Ace didn’t answer, nor did she let him answer, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along; back through the crowd and down the street as they made it into the inn. Inn that was empty, thankfully, and they assumed it would continue that way – if the celebrations outside were anything to go by.

Ace moved behind the counter of the reception, searching the key cabinet for a room; meanwhile, Starling leaned over the counter, humming happily to herself, chin resting in her hand.

“Your finest room, please” Starling hummed, smiling mischievously at him.

Dark Ace smirked, finally setting on a key, turning, and throwing it to the woman who barely caught it in her hands – her reflexes suffering with the alcohol “It’s party time”

“Is it now?”

“P-a-r-t-Why?” Ace sing-sang, rounding the counter to get a hold of the woman, pulling her against him “’Cause I gotta”

Starling stared at him for a few moments before snorting, melting into laughter as she hid her face in her hands; Ace took that opportunity to throw her over his shoulder, starting to make his way up the stairs to the upper floor of the inn.

“Put me down, we’ll fall!” Starling giggled, although not making any effort to get out of his grip “Do you even know the number of the room?”

“I have a feeling you’ll tell me” Dark Ace smirked, stopping in the middle of the corridor to look over his shoulder at the woman.

“18”

“Alrighty then!” Ace exclaimed, continuing their way down the corridor, nearly skipping their room amid the laughing and teasing; Starling barely noticing the number 18 on the door, calling then to Ace’s attention.

As they entered said room, Ace let the door hit the wall as he made his way towards the bed, throwing Starling on it – causing her to yelp and giggle some more.

“Now, we can get down to business” Ace spoke, kicking the door closed, starting to remove the small bits of armour as he walked closer to the bed – Starling’s own pieces of armour and boots clinking down to the floor.

As soon as he was close enough to the bed, the purple haired was on him, her lips colliding with his, her hands on his neck – making sure he wouldn’t run from her. Ace ran his tongue across her lips, parting them as it made its way into her mouth.

They broke apart breathless only to pull their shirts off, Starling effortlessly pulling her uniform shirt over her head – throwing it to somewhere in the room. Dark Ace, on the other hand, struggled to wave his own off his body, one of his arms getting stuck in its sleeve.

It only pissed him off more when he heard her giggles.

“Stop giggling” Ace complained, causing the woman to laugh harder. When he finally pulled the garment over his head, he came to see Starling kneeling on the bed, doubling over with laughter.

“The powerful Dark Ace-” That’s all the woman managed to croak out before she got interrupted by her own laughter, her own arms hugged around her abdomen as she threw her head back with mirth.

Dark Ace smirked, propping his knee on the bed and leaning over Starling, causing the woman to slowly lie down until her back rested on the mattress; her giggles slowly dissipating.

“Do go on” Ace growled, landing a kiss on Starling’s lips, slowly peppering his way down her chin and the lines of her neck “Me what?”

A sigh was the only thing that left Starling’s mouth, followed by a hissed moan as his teeth sank into skin; turning into relief as he sucked her neck, making sure there would be a mark there when he was done.

He climbed on the bed, resting in between her open legs, grinding his hips against hers; letting go of her neck to let out a hissed breath of his own. He continued his way down her neck, across her chest and abdomen before reaching the seam of her shorts.

In any other occasion he would have teased her, would have unbuttoned her pants slowly, pull them down as he left small bites on her legs, maybe bite her underwear to pull it down – but not this time, he had already waited long enough to get on her.

With that thought he unbuttoned her shorts, pulling them down along with her underwear, leaving the high socks behind. It gave him a wicked sense of pleasure, seeing her back arch off the mattress as he ran his tongue on her – a moan escaping through her lips.

He grabbed onto her legs, pulling her closer, his fingers worming their way under the seam of her sock – caressing her thighs. Forcing her hips down and preventing her from escaping his ministrations as her body contorted with pleasure.

The longer his tongue worked on her, the louder and more erratic she got; her hands becoming fists on the white sheets of the bed, her leg resting over his shoulder to force him there.

It didn’t stop him from pulling away from her when he felt a small spasm run through her body; causing her to whine and open her eyes to glare at him. 

“Why did you stop?” Came Starling’s whine, a breathless one that sent a wave of desire down his body.

“You were having too much fun” Ace smirked, standing to unbutton his pants.

“Asshole” Starling complained; removing her socks and balling them to throw at the man who dodged her every attempt to hit him.

“Come here” Ace called, wrapping an arm around the woman’s waist as they crawled up the bed; her head resting on the pillow.

He positioned himself between her legs, lining up to enter her; however, all his efforts seemed to have been for nothing when Starling hissed, her hands pushing against his shoulders to stop him from moving with a mumbled ouch.

“Actually hitting the target, that would be an idea, wouldn’t it?” Starling spoke, peeking up at the man, only to laugh at the confused expression on his face “Oh, this is too funny!”

Ace stared down at the woman for a few seconds before moving away, only to have her grab him, gluing herself to his back, her arms around his neck.

“I’m done with this” Ace spoke, before Starling pulled him down – straddling his hips.

“You’re not going anywhere” Starling smirked, her hand on his chin to hold his face in place.

She leaned down, landing a kiss on his lips, her tongue sneaking into his mouth. He let her take the lead, shuddering when he felt her sliding down on him, both moaning into the kiss.

Ace sat up, resting his hands on her small hips, helping her and guiding her as she moved up and down on his shaft – the sound of skin on skin echoing throughout the room, mixing with the sound of their moans and groans.

“Fucking hell” Starling moaned, her back arching as Ace landed a kiss in the bottom of her neck, between her collarbones, sucking on the skin there “Faster”

She felt the man smirk against her skin before Ace turned them both around, the purple haired huffing when her back hit the mattress. Dark Ace took that opportunity to quicken his pace, slamming hard into her; the headboard of the bed hitting hard against the wall with the force of their bodies moving.

Starling’s moans filled the room, her hands grabbing onto his shoulders, nails digging into the skin. Ace smirked, slamming her again just to watch her throw her head back in pleasure.

He started moving slowly, teasing her, feeling her hands run down his back as she sighed in pleasure. He leaned down on his elbows, so he could be closer to her, feel her breasts against his chest, before quickening his pace.

As his hips hurried, her nails dragged across his back, making him hiss; he knew they would be leaving blazing red trails behind.

He did not stop. He watched as her back arched from the mattress as he hit deeper into her, her burning skin brushing on his, the shape of her lips when they parted, the pleasure as it showed on her face.

In his drunken stupor and overtaken by pleasure, he couldn’t stop from admiring her and taking in the sight – a rare one. All the time he knew Starling, all he had seen on her face was the impassive mask she always wore, her expression devoid of any emotion, her eyes nearly blank.

To see her coming apart under him, hearing her call out his name amid the uncontrollable moans, the small glistening tears that stubbornly broke from the corner of her eyes; the way she held onto him and her hands ran across his back desperately.

Her petite body under him, the way they moved against each other; the way their skin grazed together; her hips fitting perfectly in his hands, following his movements, and moving along with him to heighten her pleasure.

She was delicious.

“That’s my pretty little Sky Knight” Dark Ace whispered in her ear, his hand moving from her hip down in between her legs; teasing her clit, feeling her tighten on him.

He let out a groan as she tightened around him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer if they continued that way – however, Starling grabbed his wrist, holding his hand there and he wasn’t about to stop his teasing if it meant he kept hearing the honeyed sounds that rained from her lips.

“Fuck” Her breathing was hurried, coming out in small breaks; and he could feel it on his skin, driving him insane.

So, he kept up his teasing, not letting her escape him, moving his fingers in small circles; and soon enough her body spasmed under him, her hands gripping his shoulder as her whole body shook with pleasure. He felt her tighten on him, almost impossibly; so hard he had to stop himself before slamming her harder.

The closer he got, the harder it was to keep his rhythm straight, though he kept moving into her. He felt the pressure building in him, right at his tip – he didn’t last much longer. He hissed, pulling her closer, groaning as bliss took over him, feeling himself pulsate inside her.

They both fell on the mattress, breathless. Ace resting his forehead against Starling’s, trying desperately to catch their breaths; in the silence they could hear the sounds of celebration coming from outside, lulling them.

That is the last thing they remember.

Starling didn’t usually get drunk – is not that she wasn’t familiar with alcohol, in fact, she drank quite often; but since her squadron’s deaths she had stopped getting drunk, for two reasons - getting drunk alone in a place full of cliffs and flying vehicles wasn’t a nice idea; and hangovers. Hangovers felt like death and she didn’t miss them at all.

She regretted letting go and getting drunk with Dark Ace when she awoke in the morning, her head breaking apart at the seams as the pain spread. Turning in bed, rubbing her eyes with a groan, she came to face Dark Ace who wasn’t in better shape.

Dark Ace sat in the bed next to her, resting against the headboard of the bed and holding the palm of his hand to his forehead, as if he could push away the pain – all the while groaning and grumbling.

“Can you die a little more quietly?” Starling spoke, her voice rasp and quiet as she attempted to contain the pain that took over her head.

Dark Ace peeked one eye open to glare at her, even then the anger could send anyone fleeing from the man – however, Starling was in too much pain to care whether he hated her or not.

Fighting must have been too much effort because his anger soon dissipated on him; as he closed his eyes and went back to cursing his life – much more quietly now and Starling mumbled a thank you.

“This is all your fault” Dark Ace finally spoke coherently, voice low and deep; and if she weren’t being stabbed with pain and trying to stop the room from spinning, she could even have gotten turned on because of it.

“Excuse me?”

Before Ace could explain his reasoning behind blaming her for their situation, or before Starling could muster any effort to grab her pillow and hit him; a knock landed on the door – a hard and loud knock that echoed around the room, sending the both of them groaning in pain.

“Dark Ace” Starling called, throwing her arm over her eyes as the knocking continued; Ace only gave her another groan in answer “Please kill whoever is knocking on that damned door”

She felt him move, getting up with furiously and searching the room for his undergarments; she waited almost expectantly for him to open the door and release the usual Dark Ace treatment upon whoever kept knocking.

In truth, she had spent enough time undercover, to have witnessed him in his worst mood; the days were the talons would run from his path, take the longer way and do everything in their power to avoid him.

It had taken her by surprise the first time she saw him angrily grumble and rant his way through Cyclonia; but she had learned to avoid him and his uncontrolled rage. She knew what that person was going to face, and when another hard knock landed on the door, she didn’t feel one bit sorry.

However, when the door opened, Ace couldn’t get a word in.

“I’m sorry, Commander, Sky Knight” The mystery man spoke, looking thoroughly terrified “You may stay at our inn for as long as you wish! I’m just here to give you this!”

Ace took the bundle that the man handed him, watching as he quickly walked away, not wanting to face them – in his shoes, Ace would have done the same; at this point he didn’t want to face himself either.

Slowly, Dark Ace closed the door, looking at the bundle in his hands; a rock falling in his stomach when he looked at what was in the front page.

“Starling”

“Someone better be dying”

“Oh, someone will be” That got her attention.

Starling sat up on the bed, gathering the sheets around her and kneeling on the bed to take what he was handing her – a newspaper. Her heart stopped when her eyes landed on the first page.

_Star-crossed lovers? A sordid romance? Sky Knight Starling and Dark Ace caught in intimate show of affection amongst the treaty celebrations! Exclusive look at what happened behind closed doors! More details in page 5!_

**Author's Note:**

> YAY, end of chapter 1!  
> I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and is excited for this new journey! I would like to thank not only my boyfriend for being the best beta reader but also the peeps on the Storm Hawks discord for inspiring me to write drunk Ace as basically Jim Carrey! XD  
> As usual, don't hesitate to comment! I love to hear what everyone has to say! Don't hesitate to talk to me on tumblr @softcoverwords!  
> See you next time!  
> -softcoverwords


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